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How to Become a Best-in-Class Multinational Fleet

Change is percolating in the management of multinational fleets, which is being driven by global market dynamics, evolving procurement trends, and technology platform upgrades that are facilitating cross-border management of individual country fleets.

As I interact with multinational corporations in both North America and Europe, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the next real challenge for pan-national fleet managers, direct and indirect procurement managers, and executives to whom fleet ultimately reports, is how to transition the management of their corporate fleet to a global platform. Developing the subject-matter expertise of managing a fleet from a global perspective is going to be one the core competencies required of fleet managers, especially for those who seek to advance their responsibilities and elevate their careers at multinational corporations.

This is why the value of a truly global fleet conference has resonated so strongly at the world’s largest multinational organizations, especially among managers who have regional and/or global fleet responsibilities. In an era of cross-functional teams, there is a strong need for fleet managers to elevate their subject-matter expertise by being exposed to best practices that will reinforce to senior management that they are the in-house authority for all things dealing with fleet. Unfortunately, this perception is eroding in the eyes of some senior managers.

This is an important reason to attend the 2017 Global Fleet Conference, which will be held June 6-8, 2017 at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay in Miami, Fla .The conference is a joint venture between Bobit Business Media, the publisher of Automotive Fleet magazine, and Nexus Communication, the publisher of Fleet Europe magazine. Bobit Business Media has a strong subject-matter expertise of the North American fleet market and Nexus Communication has an unrivaled expertise in the European fleet market. Together, we are able to identify the relevant real-world issues of global fleet management. We are in regular communication with the brightest minds in fleet management in both North America and Europe, allowing us to develop an agenda pertinent to today’s and tomorrow’s fleet market.

2017 Global Fleet Conference Agenda

Case Studies & Future Trends:

Identifying the Latest Trends in Global Procurement Strategies.

How to Create a Global Fuel Program.

How to Develop a Global Fleet Safety Culture.

Best Practices in Global Supplier Relationship Management.

New Global NCAP Proposal and its Effect on Multinational Fleets.

Identifying Disruptive Technologies and Their Impact on Global Fleet Management.

Top 10 Megatrends that will Influence the Future of Global Fleet Management.

In-Depth Fleet Market Reports & Trends:

Europe.

North America.

South America.

Australasia/Asia.

Learning from Your Peers

The 2017 Global Fleet Conference will provide fleet managers with an opportunity to network and collaborate with other managers managing multinational fleets. This invaluable networking opportunity, coupled to an educational format, will allow you to learn about industry best practices. Another important networking opportunity at the Global Fleet Conference is that it provides a venue to interact with key representatives from major global fleet management companies, fleet suppliers, and OEMs.

In addition, the Global Fleet Conference is also designed for country fleet managers who want to learn how to position themselves to management as the No. 1 candidate capable of expanding fleet responsibilities beyond their home market.

The business case for attending the Global Fleet Conference is that fleet challenges are universal and by learning from other fleet professionals, it will lead to quicker problem resolution and creative solutions, saving your organization valuable time and money.

You can’t attend every conference, which is why the Global Fleet Conference provides the best ROI by providing the most comprehensive educational forum to share global best practices with exposure to the greatest number of global fleet managers.

I hope to see you June 6-8, 2017, in Miami at the 2017 Global Fleet Conference.

More information on the Global Fleet Conference can be found on the event website.

Market Trends

Running a well-managed fleet is a complex task that requires supervision by someone with deep subject-matter expertise. As a result, a fleet manager’s capabilities and expertise can be easily overlooked by executive management not versed in the intricacies of fleet management.

Corporate fleets are on the verge of a productivity revolution triggered by increasingly pervasive and sophisticated vehicle connectivity tools being built into vehicles that will transition fleet management from a reactive to proactive profession.

Multinational corporations are changing the way they source and manage their vocational fleets to better identify true costs and to leverage opportunities to reduce spend and to maximize the operating efficiency of these specialized vehicles.

There isn’t a single trait that epitomizes a great fleet manager; rather, it is a multitude of traits interacting with one another. The best fleet managers are jugglers who can balance a variety of variables to make the fleet program work efficiently.

A vehicle’s total cost of ownership is comprised of its fixed costs, operating expenses, and depreciation per year or during the course of its service life, minus its anticipated resale value. During the course of a vehicle’s service life, TCO is subject to change due to a vehicle’s age and numerous external factors, which has a direct bearing on replacement policies.

In a six-month analysis, the FMCSA reported hours of service (HOS) violations have steadily decreased, which is good news and a testament to the efficacy of ELD technology. However, there continue to be negative unintended consequences caused by the constraints and inflexibility with HOS rules that hinder compliance.

Three challenges consistently high on the list for many fleet managers — improving driver safety, mitigating the high cost of fuel, and complying with corporate pressures to reduce fleet’s contribution to the company’s global carbon footprint.

Many times employees who have an “entitlement mentality” do not have a sense of responsibility to take care of the company asset as if it was their own. This impacts fleet costs. A company vehicle in poor condition because of driver abuse or neglect will result in lost resale value or incur unnecessary reconditioning expense at auction.

Not only is last-mile delivery the fastest growing vocational fleet segment, it is also demonstrating that it will be an early adopter exploiting the technologies and business practices that will become the new core fleet management tools to be employed in the next decade of the 2020s.

To get the pulse of the vocational truck and van market, I reached out to a wide cross-section of fleet managers around the country to find out what’s on their minds. Here’s a snapshot of what they told me.

While technology is making vehicles safer, last longer, and be more environmentally friendly, it is also making them increasingly complex. As vehicles become more complex, so do all aspects of vehicle repairs.